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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — a trace
  5. band — a ring
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. drill — army training
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. root — of a word
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mark — a grade
  13. track — a song
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — the cause
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. root — of a plant
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com